All these changes are hard on a momma's heart. And I had just bought a big box of diapers. Ha.
I knew spring break would be a good time to give it our first go because most of the things we do during the week wouldn't be taking place. I set my expectations pretty low. I just wanted to see how you would do with it and how you would respond to actually sitting bare bottomed on your potty. On Monday I just took your diaper off in the morning and let you go. I talked to you a lot throughout the day about the potty and let you go with me to the restroom to see repeatedly what the routine looked like to go potty and talked you through each step. You cried every time I tried to put you on your potty but did finally use it. It just wasn't consistent. I still had a feeling you were ready, though.
I picked Jana Ligon's brain because she had just potty trained Ada Lee a few months ago and I knew she had used the three day method. She (pretty easily) convinced me to read the book and I was determined after that. So thankful for her and all my ridiculous texts she put up with!!
So, Wednesday once I felt prepared we got started first thing in the morning!
I kept up with everything in my notes on my phone.
Something I messed up was saying "do you need to potty?!" Which I got better at by day three. The book suggests saying something like "remember to let me know when you need to potty"
Our three day potty training adventure.
Day 1:
Up at 6:49
-drank about five ounces of milk
-diaper off around 7:15
-peed in floor standing up playing with magnets on refrigerator at 7:50 ("oh no mommy. Ohhhh noooo!")
-10:20 after saying she wanted a diaper for about 20 minutes she sat down (crankily) and peed on the potty!
-around 2 you were standing in the bathroom while I was using the restroom and said I need a diaper mom and I said go to the potty! And you ran in to it alone and sat down and started before I could even get in the room! You were so proud you couldn't wait to go dump it out in the toilet!
-around 6:00 you were running around the house with daddy and had an accident
After bath we sat you on the potty but you didn't go. You didn't even realize we didn't put a diaper on you at bed time.
I was concerned today at how few times you went pee, but so proud of how few accidents you had!
Day 2:
-you slept ALL night without a diaper. And then peed before I could get you out of bed this morning!!
(Up at 7:20)
-9:00 am- you were in my lap and said you wanted down to eat your breakfast that was on the coffee table .. You said I need my stool so I said want to try to potty first and you said oh yeah I need to potty. Sat down on it and went! I said lets flush and you did then immediately lifted the lid to take it to pour out! You kept saying in your heavy/struggling voice "I so proud"
Again at 9:15
10:15
11:45!
Nap- peed in bed at the end
Potty at 2:20
3:30!
3;50 you were in the play room and had an accident running to the potty
4:48-Asked you if you needed to potty so you went and sat down and did You said "I'm just so proud mommy"
-5:00- you've said a few times you needed a diaper because you needed to push. You've sat down probably four times on the potty and have done your pppuuuuuuuushhhhh face and said it while pooting but no poop yet!
-5:55: I kept asking if you needed to potty and you whined Noooo for about 20 minutes.
You went and grabbed your bible off the shelf and sat down on the potty I turned around and you were slowly standing up and poop was coming out! I said good job. Sit back down!!! You did and finished and you were soooooo happy. We all jumped up and down!!
7:10- pee pee! First time daddy got to witness you doing it on the potty! ❤️
-bed at 7:45 pm
-woke up at 8:15 pm saying you needed to potty (you did) then you were scared to go back to "night night"
You love to turn around to see what you did in the potty, to flush the little potty, get excited to carry the bowl to dump in the big potty, love to get high fived after you go, for me to flush the big potty, and then to go to the mirror and smile to say yay and I'm so proud!!!!
Day 3:
Up at 6:10
-you had pottied. I think it had been a little while. It wasn't super damp or warm
-pottied when we got downstairs
-7:15 got off couch and went to poop on your own
-8:00 pee pee
9:00-pee pee
-9:45 pee pee
-10:35pee pee
-11:15-pee pee
12:20-pee pee
Dry after nap time!!!!
-2:55 -pee pee
3:40- pee pee
3:55 ran from playroom and Yanked panties off. POOP! (And pee)
4:30- pee pee
4:43- pee pee
5:15- pee pee before we left for Gammies
Stayed dry the whole drive to gammie and gampies! Wooohoo
6:50- pee peed in the duck at Gammies
7:45- pee peed in the duck at Gammies before we left to go home
Bath, put jammies on, pottied, read books. You did not want to go to sleep. Cried a lot. So I kept saying "let me know if you need to potty". You used that to your advantage and told me three different times. So we tried three different times. I finally put you down and let you cry
-1:20 am
Day 4:
7:10- pee pee
8:25- pee pee
9:30
10:25
I went to grab a toilet seat so you would be comfortable using it at church and at Kdo.
-11:20 You used it like a champ the second time I sat you on it (I may have said "miss missy will be so proud of you for being able to use this Millie". And there you went)
I stopped writing times down because you didn't have anymore accidents.
You have wet the bed at some point the past three nights. That's still something we need to work on but I'm going to give you a few more nights to try to figure it out before I try to intervene.
I was so nervous about taking you to church Easter Sunday because I was afraid you would get distracted and have an accident or that the nursery workers would hate me for not having a pull up on you 😬. I was also scared because that would be the longest you'd be out of the house without me there to say "Millie remember to let me know when you need to potty" even though by Saturday night you were totally telling me on your own every time you needed to go.
I sucked it up (tucked that potty cushion in a trash bag and crammed it in your backpack) and we ventured to church. Jana Ligon recommended I try to take you myself before sending you to the room. We went and you said "I can't potty right now mom". So that was that and I dropped you off
YOU DIDN'T HAVE AN ACCIDENT despite my fear of you peeing all over the lap of a nursery teacher and ruining her Easter. You even used the bathroom when they took you!!!!! I couldn't believe it when they told me!
YOU LOOOOOOOVE TO PICK OUT YOUR "PANTIES" AT NIGHT :))
YOU LOOOOOOOVE TO PICK OUT YOUR "PANTIES" AT NIGHT :))
I am so thankful I took Jana's advice and dove right in to this. I had my doubts and was anxious about numerous things. It was definitely a tiring three days, but I got to spend so much extra one on one time with you and I feel like I got to know who my toddler is so much better. It was such a bonding experience for us that it makes it all worth it. Every single second.
However, since I went in with my low expectations I know I wasn't fully prepared to never see my "baby" in a diaper again. Your daddy and I were just talking about that. Can't believe that chapter is behind us!
Moving forward: of course I am aware accidents are going to happen. And I'm still wondering when night time accidents will end 😜😏
I am SO proud of you Millie and I love seeing how proud you are of yourself. The excitement in your voice when you say "ets go potty mom!" And when you say "all done" or "yay! I pooped" it makes my heart so happy.